Mounting for laterally extended table tops



P 1943- w. A. HILLENBRAND MOUNTING FOR LATERALLY EXTENDED TABLE TOPSFiled Oct. 31, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. M5 4 4 MJZM M f ATTORNEY5Sept. 21, 1943. w. A, HILLENBRAND MOUNTING FOR LATERALLY EXTENDED TABLETOPS Filed Oct. 31, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MB a 7. INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 21, 1943 MOUNTING FORLATERALLY TABLE TQPS'J-William A. Hillenbrand, Batesville, Ind., assi'gnor to Hill-Rom Company,corporation of Indiana Application OctoberBl, 1941,..SerialNo. 417.;233;

6 Claims. (origin-as).

This invention relates to 'improvements in table construction andisparticularly directed to the improvement of the supporting means for thetop of'an overbed table.- Overbed tables of various types have beenprovided heretofore. The type concerned here utilizes a single pedestalrising from the base and adapted through the-improved structure of thisinvention to support the laterally extended table top. When placed intheen vironment' of a hospital bed, the table top therefOr' extends outover the bed where it is disposedconvenientiy before the occupant of thebed.

In the'manufacture of this type of table, it is quite obvious that agreat deal of clifficulty has been encountered in the provision of a topsupporting structurewhich will adequately support the weight or thetable top and any articles placed upon it". In order to reach out overthe bed, the amount of top extension required is considerable, andaccordinglm-there-is a great deal of leverage eiiective through the topfor'displacing the. tab1e f'romits true horizontal position. Thesupport'connection to the pedestal or standard must be substantial sothat this leverage and the twisting strains do not break it down. I, v

Furthermore, the structure must embody means for raising and loweringthe table top supporting means soas to change the elevation of the tablerelative to the bed or to adjust it to the height of the bed for theconvenience of the occupant.

Accordingly, it has been" an object of the present inventor to providean improved overbed top supporting structure which is extremely rigidand capable of resisting fully the average strains imposed upon the.table and to provide improvements in the construction of the bracketattaching the top supporting arm to the top of the pedestal or post andin the construction of" the supporting means extending beneath the top.Also. the improvements relate to the relationship of these elements;that is, thepost, the bracket, and the arm, in the formation of aunitary and adequate supporting meansfor the top structure. It has beena further object to provide a bracket for this purpose which is rigidlyattached to the top of the upper sectionof the telescoping post, whichbracket includes a compact means within its unitary tructure for raisingand lowering the top relative to the base and the lower section of thetelescoping post structure.

Other objects and certain advantages of the invention will be more fullyapparent from the description of the drawings in which:

I nc., Batesville. Indl, a

r Figure: 1 is a perspective view of an overbed table of the: singlepost or pedestal type embodying the improved top supporting means ofthis. invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure with certain partsbroke'n.away for more fully illustrating the top supporting means.

Figure 3=is a-sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2,- detailing thestructure of the bracket and showing the detailsof the operating meansfor raising-andlowering the top supporting structure relative to thepost. 7

' Figure 4 is-a sectional view taken on line 4-4, Figureb; furtherdetailing the structure of the bracket and the elevating means. I

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55, Figure l, detailing thearrangement of the elevating screw'and nut relative to the poststructure. i l 1 i As stated, it has been conventional in the past toprovidea table. incorporating a top structure extendingover the bed andsupported only atone end. This type of table includes a single pedestalor post rising from a base structure and providing means for mountingthe top relative to the base and the lower section of the post. Apartfrom the general howing in the drawings and the general description, thespecification in this application .will be directed to a detaileddescription. of the exact details of the. top supporting means attachedto the uppersection of the post and:- extending outwardly; therefrom.Referring tothe drawings, a base iilis provided, which base is of moreor lessbroadened H iorm including; appropriate casters H. At theintersection oithe central member M of the base and one of the endmembers IS, the base bracket I4 is incorporated. The standard or postgenerally indicated at l5 rises from this bracket Mandincludesa lower orinner section lfi and an upper orouter section ll, the formertelescoping within the. latter. These post sections are rectangular. Arubber bumper l8extends vertically along the innerface of'the uppersection for the purpose of preventing scuffing of the bed or the tablestructure.

A top supporting bracket #5 is fixed to the upper end of the uppertubular section ll. This bracket l9 includes a socket 20' engaged overthe top of the upper tubular section ll. Further, it includes a lateralextension 2i including a socket Z2 mounting one end of a top supportingarm 23 consisting of a length of pipe.

Further, the bracket includes a chamber 24 at the inner end of thesocket 22 and above the in the respective ends of the nut. Thus, thenut' is free to rotate slightly if necessary as for example, when thesections are fully extended and.

there may be a slight disalignment.

An elevating screw 30 traverses the nut and is approximately of the samelength as apost section. It is suspended from its upper end on theshoulder afforded by the. hub of a bevel gear. 3| pinned to the upperend of the screw and resting upon the bottom of the chamber 24. Ashoulder 32 on the screw engages the underside of the bottom wall of thechamber and thus, the elevating screw is maintained against axialdisplacement relative to the bracket and the upper post section.

The bevel gear 3i meshes with a bevel gear 33 pinned to the inner end ofan operating shaft 34 extending into the chamber 24 from the front ofthe bracket. The bracket includes a boss 35 mounting the shaft 34. Acrank handle 36 is fixed to the outer end of the shaft and includes aball type manipulating knob 37. Thus, rotation of the crank rotates thescrew within the nut and moves the upper section telescopically relativeto the lower section.

The arm 23 is welded within the socket 22- and is further held thereinby means of a cross pin 38. The supporting frame mounted on the armconsists of a length of flat bar material 39 (Figure 2) bent intorectangular form. The strip of material 39 is disposed on edge; that is,it is disposed with its upper edge presenting a horizontally disposedsupporting surface. The adjacent ends of this strip of material 39 arewelded to opposite sides of the tubing, constituting the arm, as at 50.The outer end of the arm is'welded to the inner face of the end portionof the rectangular support as at 42. Top structure may be secured tothis supporting frame by any means, such as clips. As shown, the arm isbent laterally or is offset from the center of the frame so as toprovide clearance for certain top elements not constituting a part ofthis invention.

Through the use of a unitary bracket element having the post section andthearm socketed therein, a very rigid type of support for a ratherlengthy laterally extended arm 23 is provided. Stability and strengthare further contributed through the arrangement of the post section withits long dimension disposed parallel with Having described my invention,I claim: 1. A support bracket for mounting a table top laterally from asupporting post, comprising a single element incorporating a verticalsocket adapted to fit over the top of the post, a lateral socket adaptedto receive a horizontally disposed top supporting arm, and a chamberabove the vertical socket for receiving mechanism for elevating thebracket relative to the ,post supporting it.

2. Means for supporting a table top at the upper end of a post,comprising a bracket ina supporting arm extending horizontall from saidlateral socket, and a rectangularly bent metallic band secured to thearm and constituting top.

a frame providing a horizontally disposed supporting surface for thetable top.

'3. Means for supporting a table top at the upper end of a post,comprising a one-piece bracket including asocketin its underside engagedover the upper end ofthe post, said bracket further including a socketextending laterally therefrom, and a supporting arm extendinghorizontally from said lateral socket, said arm including means forsupporting a table 4'. In a table construction of the type including abase and a post at one end of the base, said post consisting oftelescoping tubular sections; a bracket attached to the upper sectionincluding a socket engaged over the upper end of the upper section,means extending laterally from the bracket for supporting a table top,said bracket being of one piece and including a chamber located over thepost, an elevating screw suspended irom the bracket into the post, a nutfixed in the upper end of the lower 'post section and traversed by thescrew, a bevel gear on the upper end of the screw within the chamber, asecond bevel gear meshing with the first, a horizontally disposed shaftwithin the bracket axially supporting said second bevel gear, and acrank on the outer end of the shaft for rotating the gears and raisingand lowering the upper post section through said screw and nut. 5. In atable construction, a post consisting of telescoping tubular sections, abracket attached to the upper section, means extending laterally fromthe bracket for supporting a tabletop, said bracket including a chamberlocated over the post, an elevating screw suspended from the bracketinto the post, a nut fixedin the upper end of the lower post section andtraversed by the screw, gearing within said chamber for rotating saidscrew, and means for rotating the gears and raising and lowering theupper post section through said screw and nut. o 'A support bracket formounting a laterally extended table top, comprising a supporting post ofrectangular tubular form, an element incorporating a vertical socketadapted to fit over the top of the post and a socket extended laterallyin a direction parallel with the wide sides of the post, and adapted toreceive a top supporting horizontally disposed arm.

WILLIAM A. HILLENBRAND.

